Outdoor patio heater accessory and method of use

ABSTRACT

An accessory for a patio heater includes a bracket to secure to a pole of the patio heater; two arms attached to and extending away from the bracket in an upward direction; and two concave shields attached to the arms to bend around a heating element of the patio heater; the concave shields reflect heat in a desired direction.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to patio heaters, and morespecifically, to an accessory for patio heaters that aids in bendingheat in a desired direction to provide heat to the audience of the patioheater.

2. Description of Related Art

Patio heaters are well known in the art and are effective means to addheat to an outdoor setting. For example, FIG. 1 depicts a conventionalpatio heater 101 having a base 103 with a pole 105 extending to a heater107 covered with a dome 109. During use, heat is projected in alldirections (as shown with arrows A and B), away from heater 107.

One of the problems commonly associated with system 101 is heat beingprojected in all directions. For example, during use of heater 107 neara table, the persons sitting at the table only receive a portion of theheat produced, thereby making the patio heater 101 less than optimallyefficient at providing the persons with heat.

Accordingly, although great strides have been made in the area of patioheaters, many shortcomings remain.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of thepresent application are set forth in the appended claims. However, theembodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and furtherobjectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by referenceto the following detailed description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a common patio heater;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a common patio heater with an accessorysecured thereto in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the patio heater and accessory of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are front views of the accessory of FIG. 2 with theshields removed and attached for clarity; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting the use of a patio heater and accessoryof FIG. 2.

While the system and method of use of the present application issusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specificembodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawingsand are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however,that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended tolimit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentapplication as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative embodiments of the system and method of use of the presentapplication are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that inthe development of any actual embodiment, numerousimplementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve thedeveloper's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effortmight be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routineundertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure.

The system and method of use in accordance with the present applicationovercomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonlyassociated with conventional patio heaters. Specifically, the presentinvention provides an accessory that aids in bending heat in a desireddirection. These and other unique features of the system and method ofuse are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The system and method of use will be understood, both as to itsstructure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken inconjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments ofthe system are presented herein. It should be understood that variouscomponents, parts, and features of the different embodiments may becombined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which arewithin the scope of the present application, even though not allvariations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. Itshould also be understood that the mixing and matching of features,elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expresslycontemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art wouldappreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/orfunctions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodimentas appropriate, unless described otherwise.

The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Itis chosen and described to explain the principles of the invention andits application and practical use to enable others skilled in the art tofollow its teachings.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters identifycorresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 2depicts a front view of a patio heater 201 with an accessory 203 securedthereto in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentapplication. It will be appreciated that accessory 203 overcomes one ormore of the above-listed problems commonly associated with conventionalpatio heaters systems.

In the contemplated embodiment, accessory 203 includes a mountingbracket 205 configured to secure to a pole 207 of patio heater 201. Itshould be appreciated that mounting bracket 205 can be any style ofbracket or clamp configured to secure around a pole. Accessory 203further includes a plurality of arms 209, 211 extending upward frombracket 205 and attached to two or more shields 213, 215, wherein theshields are positioned around the heating element (not shown) of theheater, to direct heat in a desired direction. In the preferredembodiment, the shields 213, 215 are positioned under the dome 217, butalternative embodiments contemplate smaller shields.

As better shown in FIG. 3, the shields overlap 301 to further preventheat from escaping in the undesired direction. The shields 213, 215 areconcave, thereby allowing for the directing of heat (as shown witharrows C, D, and E).

It should be appreciated that one of the unique features believedcharacteristic of the present application is accessory 203, havingshields attached to arms and configured to direct heat in a desireddirection.

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, the accessory 203 is further shown without the patioheater to further depict and show the features. The shields 213, 215secure to the arms via any appropriate attachment means 401, 403, andcurve around the heating element of the patio heater, thereby pushingheat in a desired direction. In some embodiments, shields 213, 215 arecomposed of aluminum, however, other materials could be used. Further,it should be appreciated that the arms are non-heat conductive material.

In FIG. 5, a flowchart 501 depicts the method of use of heater 201 andaccessory 203. The accessory is secured to the heater pole via thebracket, as shown with box 503. The shields are then positioned oppositethe desired direction of heat reflection, as shown with box 505. Thepatio heater is activated, wherein heat is reflected away from theshields to heat a desired area, as shown with box 507.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as theembodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalentmanners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of theteachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particularembodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all suchvariations are considered within the scope and spirit of theapplication. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forthin the description. Although the present embodiments are shown above,they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable tovarious changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof.

1. An accessory for a patio heater, the accessory comprising: a bracket configured to secure to a pole of the patio heater; two arms attached to and extending away from the bracket in an upward direction; and two concave shields attached to the arms and configured to bend around a heating element of the patio heater; wherein the concave shields reflect heat in a desired direction.
 2. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the two concave shields are composed of aluminum.
 3. A method of outdoor heating, the method comprising: providing a patio heater; providing an accessory, the accessory having a bracket to secure to a pole of the patio heater; two arms attached to and extending away from the bracket; and two shields attached to the two arms; and directing heat in a desired direction via the two shields. 